The Present at the Party
by DaLiza
Summary: Hodgins asks Booth to kiss Brennan at Angela's birthday party. BB, AH feel good fluff.
1. Chapter 1

Seeley Booth ran a hand through his hair and adjusted his "Cocky" belt buckle before striding into the Jeffersonian Medico-Legal Lab, intending to grab his beautiful partner and whisk her away to their latest crime scene. No, he wouldn't _grab _her. He was a gentleman, and gentlemen didn't grab. He would get her coat, help her put it on (if she let him), and then _escort_ her to the crime scene with a gentlemanly hand on her back. When they arrived, she would kneel by the remains and do her squint thing, they would take them back to the lab and identify their owner, interrogate suspects, arrest the bad guy, and have pie at the diner to celebrate. Or Thai take-out in the Jeffersonian lounge. Or drinks at that bar they'd been going to lately. It didn't matter where they went or what they ate, as long as he could spend time with her. There was just one problem with his brilliant plan.

He couldn't find her.

He was about to call her on his cell phone when he recognized a curly head of hair bent over a microscope. "Hodgins."

Hodgins looked up from his microscope. "Hey, Booth. Got more bugs and slime for me?"

Booth chuckled at Hodgins' excitement. Most people tried to avoid bugs and slime, not seek them out for a good time. "Maybe later. Do you know where Bones is?"

"Yes." Hodgins knew teasing Booth was a bad idea--the man had a gun and wasn't afraid to use it--but for some reason he couldn't help himself.

Booth waited a few seconds for Hodgins to continue and then his patience was exhausted. "So where is she?"

"She went out to lunch with Angela."

"Oh." Booth's face fell. He had just assumed that he and Bones would have lunch together; they often did when working a case.

Booth looked so hurt that Hodgins considered giving him a hug, but ultimately he decided against it. Booth didn't seem like the type of guy who enjoyed guy hugs. "Ange asked Brennan out to lunch because she wanted Brennan's help finalizing the plans for her birthday party this weekend," he explained. "I think they're at the diner."

"Okay. Thanks." Booth turned and started walking out of the lab.

Hodgins followed him. "Speaking of Angela's party, have you gotten her a present yet?"

"Not yet," Booth admitted. He was a man of many skills, but shopping for squints who weren't his partner wasn't one of them. He figured he should get her something artistic, but what? "You're her boyfriend; do you have any ideas?"

Hodgins grinned. "Yeah, I have an idea. It's something that she would really love…and it won't cost you anything."

Booth wondered what gift he could possibly give her that would be free. Was Hodgins going to recommend that he do something creative, like write a poem or draw a picture or make a sculpture? That kind of thing was okay in elementary school when you didn't have the money to buy a real gift, but they were adults now. Then again, he and the squints had given each other handmade presents a few Christmases ago, but they'd had the old "we've been exposed to a potentially deadly fungus so we can't leave the lab to go shopping" excuse. "What is it?"

"You know what a romantic Angela is and she's been talking about getting you and Brennan together for years now, so I thought maybe you could--"

"Whoa, stop right there, Hodgins. I'm not having sex with Bones for Angela's birthday."

Hodgins laughed. "Dude, I wasn't going to suggest _that_. I was thinking you could give Brennan a kiss at the party in front of Angela."

"You're not serious." He couldn't be; this was obviously some sort of squint humor.

"I'm completely serious. It'd be the best present you could give her. Think about it."

"No." Booth walked faster, hoping Hodgins would give up and leave him alone.

Hodgins jogged to keep up with him. "Why not? You're not afraid to kiss her, are you?"

Booth glared at him. "I'm a FBI agent _and_ a former army ranger. I'm not _afraid_ of a kiss."

"Then do it. I'm sure it would make Angela very, very happy…and you and Dr. Brennan might enjoy it too."

"No." They were in the parking lot now, only a hundred feet away from Booth's SUV.

"But it would--"

"Final answer, Hodgins." Booth could see the SUV now and increased his pace again. Hodgins followed suit.

"I'll send Parker to space camp!" Hodgins blurted out breathlessly when Booth's hand reached for the door handle.

Booth stopped and turned to him. "How did you know about that?"

"You told Brennan, Brennan told Angela, Angela told me. The flow of information is a wonderful thing. Think about it, Booth: you give Brennan _one_ kiss--a romantic kiss, though, not just a peck on the cheek--and your little boy gets his dream."

Booth was instantly suspicious. "This was Caroline's idea, wasn't it? Is she feeling puckish again?"

Hodgins frowned in confusion. "Caroline who?"

"Caroline Julian. Don't play dumb with me, Hodgins; you're too smart for that."

"I'm not playing, and you kissing Brennan was my idea. Why would Caroline Julian want you guys to kiss?"

"Never mind. I've got to get Bones." He reached for the door handle again.

"So will you do it?"

Booth hesitated. It wasn't that he didn't want to kiss his beautiful and brilliant partner--he thought about kissing her every day--he just didn't want to do it for an audience. After all, Seeley Booth was a gentleman, and a gentleman didn't engage in public displays of affection. Kissing Bones in front of Caroline last Christmas had been awkward enough, and she was only one person. There were bound to be dozens of people at Angela's big birthday bash, their closest friends among them. Could he handle a room full of people gawking at them? And what would happen afterward? Wouldn't the kiss give everyone who teased him about his relationship with Bones years of ammunition?

But what about his son? Parker had been begging and pleading to go to space camp for weeks, ever since his class had done an unit on astronomy. Booth had never seen him so excited about anything--well, anything non food related; burgers and French fries and ice cream sundaes certainly excited him--but neither he nor Rebecca could afford it. Hodgins, on the other hand, was a gazillionaire; a couple grand was nothing to him. What kind of father would he be if he didn't accept Hodgins' offer?

"Alright. I'll do it."

Hodgins shook hands with Booth. "Awesome. Thanks, Booth."

"I'm only agreeing to this for Parker's sake."

Hodgins suppressed a laugh. Did Booth really expect him to believe that the idea of kissing Brennan was so unappealing to him? "I know."

"Good." Booth got in the SUV and sped out of the lot, eager to go pick up his partner…the woman he'd agreed to kiss in three days. Three days would be plenty of time to prepare himself to kiss Bones in public. He would be fine. Totally fine. There was nothing to worry about.

Maybe he would buy some gum.

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**Thanks for reading! All comments are greatly appreciated.**


	2. Chapter 2

It wasn't unusual for Booth to dream about his partner. Sometimes his dreams were about a case, but typically they were less about the dead bodies they worked with and more about their own bodies coming together…over and over again. Sometimes the dreams of the latter type were so explicit that when he woke up he felt the need to go to confession; sometimes he actually did. Yet the dream he had the night before Angela's birthday party was _not_ his usual sex dream. It was a nightmare.

In the dream, he and Bones were at Angela's party, mingling with the squints and other guests in Hodgins' richly furnished mansion. Then the time came for Angela to start opening her presents. After all the gifts were unwrapped, she asked Booth where his present was. He responded by taking Bones into his arms and kissing her. The kiss began tamely enough, but then his control snapped and he was making out with Bones on the floor while the other party guests whistled and applauded. Angela started chanting "Booth loves Brennan!" and the rest of the crowd joined in. Bones pulled away from him and asked if it was true. He admitted that it was and asked if she loved him back. She laughed, told him love was nothing more than a chemical reaction, and walked away, leaving him sobbing on the floor. Then the bully from _The Simpsons _showed up, pointed a finger at him, and said "Ha Ha!"

Logically, Booth knew the dream was absurd. For one thing, cartoon characters didn't just randomly show up out of nowhere and start talking to you…unless you had a brain tumor, and he had had his removed. And he would _never_ cry in public, even if Bones had just ripped his heart out and stepped on it. Still, he wondered if the dream might have an ounce of truth in it. After all, Angela was practically psychic when it came to matters of the heart. Even if his kiss with Bones didn't end with the two of them rolling around on the floor, wouldn't she be able to see that he was in love? And wouldn't she tell Bones? And wouldn't Bones' first instinct be to push him away? What if she cut him out of her life entirely? How could he live without her? He couldn't. Maybe he could tell Hodgins that he had changed his mind.

_Coward, _Hodgins would say. _I knew you were afraid to kiss her. But it's too late to back out now. You gave me your word, and I know you're the kind of guy who stands by his promises. _

Yes, he did stand by his promises. He had promised Hodgins that he would kiss Bones and he had promised Parker that he could go to space camp. Parker had given him the biggest hug his little arms could manage and declared that he had the best dad in the whole universe. That wasn't a title Booth was willing to relinquish.

So the night of Angela's party, Booth attempted to put his fears aside while he took a shower, sprayed on his favorite cologne, put on a form fitting red t-shirt, black leather jacket and black pants, popped a piece of gum in his mouth, and went to pick up Bones.

He still needed to tell her about the kiss.

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"You look nice," Booth told Brennan as she climbed into the passenger side of his SUV. She was wearing a red strapless dress and her auburn curls rested upon her shoulders. A simple silver chain--a far cry from her usual jewelry--hung around her neck. 'Nice' was a criminally insufficient word to describe how good she looked right now. He had wanted to say _gorgeous_.

Brennan returned her partner's appreciative gaze. She made a mental note to have Andy Lister wear Booth's outfit in the next chapter of the book she was currently writing. "So do you."

They rode in silence for a few minutes as Booth wondered how he should broach the topic of the kiss.

While he was lost in his thoughts, Brennan was watching his body intently…for scientific reasons, of course. "You're nervous about something," she concluded.

Booth tightened his hold on the steering wheel. "What? Who said I was nervous?" He cursed his voice for cracking on the final word.

"No one, but I recently read a book on body language that Sweets recommended. According to the book, blinking rapidly, clearing your throat, fidgeting, sweating, and massaging your temples are all signs of anxiety, and I've seen you exhibit each of those signs in the past few minutes."

Booth hadn't known that he was doing any of those things, let alone _all_ of them. He supposed now was a good time to tell her what he was nervous about. "I made a deal with Hodgins a couple days ago. He thought it'd be a good idea for me to…that Angela would enjoy seeing us…for her birthday…you remember how Caroline had us kiss under mistletoe so you could get the conjugal trailer for your family's Christmas celebration?"

"Yes." The sensation of Booth's lips on hers wasn't something she could forget. In fact, it was something she thought about quite regularly while she dreamed or wrote love scenes for Kathy and Andy.

"This time Hodgins is the puckish blackmailer. He said he'll pay for Parker to go to space camp if I kiss you in front of Angela at the party." There. He had said it. It wasn't so bad really…except for the knots tightening in his stomach.

Brennan smiled. She had no problem with this plan. "And the thought of kissing me again makes you apprehensive," she teased. "Are you worried about your technique?"

"No! My technique is fine. Better than fine." At least it used to be. He hadn't been with a woman in so long…how could he when no woman could compare to Bones?

"Then why are you nervous?"

"Angela told me that there would be a lot of people at this party, and I don't like the idea of us performing for an audience."

"So…you're having performance anxiety."

Booth groaned. "Please don't say that, Bones."

Brennan had to smile at his discomfort. Her partner was the bravest man she knew, yet talk of anything sexual seemed to terrify him. "Did Hodgins say that you had to kiss me in front of everyone at the party, or just Angela?"

Booth thought back to his conversation with Hodgins. "Just Angela."

"Then would a more intimate setting lessen your anxiety?"

Booth blushed. She just had to say _intimate_, didn't she? "What?"

"The party will be confined to the downstairs of Hodgins' house. The three of us could use one of the upstairs guest bedrooms for the kiss." She was already imagining her hands clutching Booth's jacket while her mouth gratefully pressed itself against his. It had been far too long since she'd kissed a man…how could she when no man could compare to Booth? "Would that make things easier for you?"

Booth's blush deepened. Kissing Bones in a _bedroom_…mere feet away from a _bed_…would probably make things harder…in more ways than one. "I…I don't know."

Brennan let out an exasperated sigh. He had been reluctant to kiss her under the mistletoe, and he was reluctant to kiss her now. She thought that they had been approaching the start of a physical relationship, but clearly he was still determined to stay behind that ridiculous imaginary line. "If the thought of kissing me is so stressful for you, don't do it. I can pay for Parker's camp."

_NO! _"But I promised Hodgins."

"Hodgins works for me. I'll talk to him. Don't worry about it." More hurt than she would ever admit, she turned to face the window.

The pain Booth saw in her eyes before she turned away hit him like a punch in the gut. She must have thought that he didn't want to kiss her when the truth was that he wanted it too much. Had he just joined the long line of men who had hurt her?

No.

He wasn't the father who abandoned her as a teenager. He wasn't the former professor who questioned her professional abilities in the courtroom. He wasn't the internet date who tried to recruit her for a cult. He wasn't the friendly firefighter who turned out to be an axe murderer. He wasn't the boyfriend who stupidly sailed away without her.

He was her loyal partner. Her devoted friend. Her gun. She was his everything. The first year they worked together, he had promised himself that he would never hurt her, but today he had. There was only one way to heal Bones' pain: tell her that he did want her. That he had always and would always want her. He wasn't as good with words as his author partner, but maybe he could help her understand--

No.

Words weren't enough. Bones was a scientist. She would want evidence. Proof.

He would give her proof. He would give her the most passionate kiss of her life.

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**Thanks for reading! All comments are greatly appreciated.**


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: This chapter will be the last. Thanks again to everyone who has been reading and reviewing!**

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So this is it_, _Booth thought as he and Brennan walked down the obscenely long driveway that led to Hodgins' obscenely large mansion. This was where he was going to give Bones the most passionate kiss of her life. Soon every other kiss she'd had would be erased from her mind forever because he was Seeley Booth, the most special of the Special Agents. The most Alpha of the Alpha Males. The most talented and considerate lover a woman could ever want.

Right?

Right. The past few years hadn't offered him a lot of opportunities to practice his skills …and that was putting it kindly…but he had kissed plenty of women in his lifetime. He hadn't had any problems pleasing _them._

But Bones wasn't like any other woman he'd ever known. What if his best wasn't good enough for her? What if _he_ wasn't good enough for her?

"Booth?" Brennan's hand on his arm jolted him from his thoughts. "You're showing signs of anxiety again. What's wrong?"

Booth took a deep breath to calm his nerves. "Nothing. I'm just excited for the party." He flashed her a patented Seeley Booth charm smile and let one hand drop to its usual position on her back as they approached the front door and rang the door bell. A few seconds later, an uniformed butler opened the door and invited them to come inside.

"Whoa," Booth said as he surveyed his surroundings. Angela wasn't kidding when she said that there would be a lot of people at the party; the place was packed. He recognized many guests from the Jeffersonian, and others from Angela and Hodgins' almost wedding.

"It is quite impressive," Brennan said, thinking Booth was referring to the high ceilings with their golden chandeliers, the elegant furniture, or the multitude of exquisite paintings and sculptures. "Do you see Angela?"

Booth scanned the crowd until he saw the artist. "There's the birthday girl! Happy Birthday, Angela!"

"Happy Birthday," Brennan echoed.

Angela went to greet her best friend and her knight in shining FBI standard issue body armor. "Thank you guys." She gave Brennan a hug. "You look amazing, sweetie. You too, Booth." She laughed as she noticed that Booth's t-shirt and Brennan's dress were identical shades of red. "I _love_ the matching outfits."

Booth and Brennan involuntarily turned to one another to verify the truth of Angela's statement. "The matching wasn't intentional," Brennan explained.

"So you two just happened to wear the exact same color?" Angela asked. "Interesting. Coincidence…or psychic connection?"

"Coincidence," Brennan declared. "Ange, there's--"

"--no such thing as a psychic connection," Booth finished for her.

"I was going to say that," Brennan said. She was annoyed that he had interrupted her.

Booth smiled. "I know."

Angela smiled at the exchange even as she wondered for the millionth time why these two hadn't realized how perfect they were for each other. "Can I get you guys something to drink?"

Booth briefly wondered if he should ask for a beer--it might help his nerves--but decided he didn't want Bones tasting alcohol on his breath; that would defeat the point of his chewing gum. "Nothing for me, thanks," he replied.

"What about you, Bren?" Angela asked.

Brennan had been planning to ask for a beer or a glass of wine, but she didn't want a drink if Booth wasn't going to be drinking with her. "I'm fine, thank you." She saw a man with a gift in his arms and suddenly remembered that her present to Angela, an autographed art history book written by one of the best scholars in the field, was still in the SUV. "I left your present in Booth's car," she told Angela. "I'll go get it."

"I can do that, Bones," Booth offered. The car was at least a half mile away and Bones' shoes didn't appear to be made for walking.

"I was the one who left it in your car, so I should be the one to retrieve it," Brennan argued, although she wasn't looking forward to walking all the way to Booth's car and back in her stylish yet uncomfortable footwear. "Give me your keys."

"No. I'll get it for you."

"Because you're the strong man and I'm some fragile woman who couldn't possibly endure the long journey?" His antiquated gender stereotypes irritated her. That was why she was upset, she told herself…not because he didn't want to kiss her.

"I know you're not _fragile_," Booth said, thinking of all the times he had seen her take someone down. "I'm just trying to be a gentleman."

"That's not necessary," Brennan argued. "I'm more than capable of taking care of myself."

"But Booth enjoys being a gentleman," Angela told her best friend. "Let him get it for you. Consider it a birthday favor for me."

Figuring that it would be rude to say no to Angela on her birthday, Brennan acquiesced. "Fine."

"Alright," Booth said. "You ladies enjoy yourselves. I'll be back soon."

"Booth?" Brennan called out as he started to walk away.

He turned around. "Yeah?"

"Thank you."

Booth smiled at the woman who drove him crazy. The woman he loved. "You're welcome."

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Several minutes later, his mission having been accomplished, Booth returned to the party and found Bones and Angela talking in the same spot where he'd left them. "Where should I put this?" He asked Angela, holding up Bones' present.

Angela took it from him. "I'll take care of it." She put it on a table piled high with presents and then walked back to Booth and Brennan.

"You're probably wondering where my present to you is," Booth said. Angela didn't respond, but he could tell he was right. "I do have one for you. It's just not something I can wrap. If Bones agrees, I'd like to give it to you now. "

"_Now_?" A confused Brennan repeated.

"Now," Booth said again. His doubts about being good enough for Bones had resurfaced while he walked to the SUV and back, and he was worried that if he waited too long he might talk himself out of kissing her.

"Are you sure about this?" Brennan asked, recalling how anxious he had been earlier. "I told you that I would pay for Parker's camp."

"I'm sure, Bones."

Brennan smiled. The fantasy she'd had in the car would be coming true after all. "Are we going to give Angela her present right here, or someplace more private?"

"Someplace more private." As awkward as it might be to kiss Bones in a bedroom, it would still be less awkward then doing it while surrounded by all these people. "Angela, can the three of us go to one of the guest rooms upstairs?"

"Okay," Angela said, smiling broadly at them. "I have no idea what you two are planning, but I'm definitely intrigued."

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Angela led Booth and Brennan to a guest room that was roughly the size of Booth's own bedroom. Yet the similarities to his room ended there. This room had expensive looking wooden furniture, floral, feminine wallpaper, and a four poster bed with red satin sheets. He asked Angela to sit on the bed while he and Bones stood in front of it, mere inches away from each other. He couldn't remember the last time he had been so excited--and so terrified--about anything.

"Are you having second thoughts?" Brennan asked as she studied his body language yet again.

"Not at all," Booth assured her. "But I do need to tell you something first. I'm not doing this just because Hodgins blackmailed me. I'm doing this because I _want_ to do it. I've wanted this…wanted _you_…ever since we met."

Angela gasped loudly, inadvertently reminding both partners of her presence. They turned to look at her. "Sorry. Please_, please _continue."

Brennan turned back to her partner. "If that's true, why did you barely reciprocate when I kissed you under the mistletoe last year?"

"You kissed Booth _last year_?" Angela blurted out. "And you didn't tell me? Brennan, I'm supposed to be your best friend!" Booth gave her a pleading expression. "Sorry. I promise I won't interrupt again."

After giving Angela a look of gratitude, Booth returned his attention to his partner. "You kissed me last year because you needed Caroline to do something nice for your family. It didn't seem right to take advantage of that."

"You were being a gentleman," Brennan realized.

"Exactly," Booth said, grateful that she understood.

Brennan gave Booth a sly smile. "You don't have to be a gentleman this time."

Booth grinned. "As you wish, Bones." Putting his arms around her waist, he lowered his mouth to hers. He kissed her softly at first, savoring the sensations it awakened in him, then used the tip of his tongue to lick her lips. When she opened her mouth to him, he let his tongue explore the wonderful new territory and she returned the gesture. His hands left her waist and began traveling up and down her back, while hers clutched his jacket and then moved up to his hair.

Booth was satisfied that the kiss was passionate…definitely the most passionate kiss of _his_ life…but would she be able to say the same?

Maybe. He decided to keep trying, just to be on the safe side. He gave her a series of fast and fiery kisses and she responded in kind, but then he started to worry that he was going too fast. He forced himself to slow down, trading fast and fiery for slow and sensual. He alternated between the two extremes, wondering how he could ever stop kissing her now that he knew how amazing it felt.

Brennan had no intention of stopping either--she had waited too long for this and was enjoying it too much-- but eventually she pulled away from him to catch her breath. Seconds later she realized there was a foreign object in her mouth…his gum. He had taken her gum under the mistletoe; it seemed fitting that she should have his now. "Thanks for the gum," she gasped.

The gum! Damnit, he had meant to take it out before they kissed! At least she didn't seem to mind. She looked happy--really happy--and he was extremely proud of himself for being the one to bring her that happiness.

"WOW," Angela exclaimed, startling both partners; they had completely forgotten she was there. "I knew you guys would be amazing together, but that was even hotter than I imagined." She looked at Booth. "You said Hodgins blackmailed you into kissing Brennan?" He nodded. "If you'll excuse me, I need to go find my man and thank him properly. You can have the room for as long as you need it. No one else should be up here, but you can lock the door from the inside if you want. Have fun!" She winked at them as she shut the door behind her.

Booth laughed. "Angela's a good friend."

"A very good friend," Brennan agreed. "So are you going to kiss me again, or do we need to wait until another one of our friends blackmails us?"

Booth pulled her back into his arms without hesitation. "We've done enough waiting."

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**Thanks for reading! All comments are greatly appreciated. **


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